


A Saving Grace

by evermore_dani



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: And I don’t know how to use tags, F/F, Gen, I have no idea what I’m doing, Multi, Other, Post-Canon, Ray’s a good dad, but here we go, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28655208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evermore_dani/pseuds/evermore_dani
Summary: “You’re the kindest person in the world, Julie Molina,” Anna smiled and closed her eyes too.“And you’re the bravest person in the world, Anna Peters.”
Relationships: Flynn (Julie and The Phantoms)/Original Female Character(s), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Platonic tho, Reggie Peters & Original Character(s)
Kudos: 21





	1. Always

Anna ran on the sidewalk as fast as she could, looking behind her every few seconds. The moonlight reflected off the whites of her shoes as she passed house after house. She didn’t know if her parents were following her, if they would even want to follow her. They never did any time before. She didn’t know where she was going. All Anna knew was that she had to get away. So she ran. Away from the hurt, the pain, the tears, the bruises. Broken bottles and loud voices flashed through her mind. Memories of what happened just a few minutes ago. Every night this happened, and every night Anna vowed to never return, but she always did. However, tonight would be different. She would keep running; she would run to a safe place, wherever that is.

She had no idea what set them off this time. Most of the time it’s money, but Anna didn’t think that was the case this time. The houses she ran past started to become more unrecognizable. It was only when Anna looked at the street sign that she realized how far she’d run. She didn’t have enough energy to walk back home and her phone was nearly dead so she couldn’t call someone to pick her up. So she kept walking until she found somewhere. As Anna started to catch her breath, her feet started to hurt more. She was running through scenarios in her head of things that could have gone different, things she could have done different.

Maybe she could have tried to stop them or distract them. In reality, she knew they were in control of their own actions, what they did was their fault. But she couldn’t help but feel slightly responsible. She could have done more to help, to calm them down. Anna thought that maybe stepping in front of the bottle, would be enough, but all that did was give her a massive cut down her arms and little cuts on her face from the shards of glass. Despite her efforts, her mom was still hit by the shards that flew behind her. She knew that once her dad finished that last drink, they were in trouble. She could have done more. She should have done more.

As Anna rounded the corner, she saw a familiar house a little ways down the street. Plants crowded the front yard, the moonlight bouncing off the dew. Her eyes started to tear up as memories came flooding back to her. Piano keys and guitar strings taking up her mind. Little kids singing along to rock music playing over the stereo. The kindest soul in the world breaking down in tears after having to tell her family she was sick. Anna holding her crying friend and covering up the piano after the most painful goodbye. Her friend fading out of her life while being drowned by grief.

She struggled to hold back her tears as she walked up to the house. Dahlias were littered across the yard and Anna smiled, remembering how important they were to this family. Walking up the steps to the front door, she prepared herself. She had no idea what to expect, these people were like a family to her and she left them when they were suffering. What if they turned her away, she couldn’t go back home, she couldn’t stand another night of this. Her friends always told her it would get this bad and begged her to leave, but she stayed, thinking that she could make it better. She’d never regretted any decision more.

Her hand was raised to knock on the door, blood still dripping down her arm though most of it had dried, but Anna couldn’t bring herself to do it. She knew they would be worried about her and have so many questions that she just couldn’t bring herself to answer right now. Before she had the chance to walk away, she heard someone talk.

“Hello?”

Anna turned and saw a boy with brown hair and no sleeves, even though it was almost night so it was a little colder out, leaning against a pillar on the porch. She had no idea how she didn’t see him before, maybe she was that out of it. The boy looked at her with a look of confusion and what seemed like a little bit of shock while she looked at him with fear. Who the hell was this? Did he live here? Did her friend move? What the hell is happening? The boy noticed her breath picking up and stepped forward with his hands out.

“Woah, okay... um breathe? Just like... okay, breathe with me.” He placed his hand on his chest and started to breathe deeply. Anna followed his lead and tried to slow down her breathing. His eyes glanced down at her arm and widened at the sight of her blood, She felt the tears in her eyes finally running down her face. The boy’s face became panicked in the blink of an eye and he backed away from her. “Um... I’m just-I’m just gonna go get you some help, yeah?” Anna nodded and closed her eyes for a second, her head was starting to hurt. When she looked up, he was gone.

She sat down on the steps and waited for the ‘help’ the boy was bringing. Whoever he was, at least he seemed nice. Anna leaned against the porch and closed her eyes, hoping the help would be there soon. After a few more seconds, she heard the door open and someone rushing towards her. She hadn’t opened her eyes yet, she was too tired to.

“Oh my gosh, Anna! Are you okay?” 

Anna finally opened her eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. She saw her friend, Julie, crouched beside her, filled with worry. A little past her, just inside the door, stood the boy with brown hair and two other boys: one with blond hair and another with dark hair. Something seemed strangely familiar about all of them, but especially the one with black hair. Anna’s eyes were drawn back to Julie when she started patting her down, checking her for other injuries.

“Yeah, no. I’m fine, just... a little woozy,” Anna joked. In all seriousness, she really didn’t want to worry the Molina’s, but that seemed unavoidable at this point. She looked up at Julie with sad eyes. “You were right.” Julie looped her arm around Anna’s waist and helped her up. As she stood up with a grunt, she heard the boys whispering and talking to Julie, but not talking to Anna like she wasn’t there.

“Is she okay?”

“What happened?”

A chorus of worry sounded off around her as Julie moved Anna to the couch in their living room. She laid down with a sigh and looked over to see the boy with the brown hair whispering to the others. Resting her head on the pillow, Anna closed her eyes. She had almost dozed off when she heard someone yell.

“Wait she can see us?!”

She opened her eyes and sat up. Everyone was glaring at the dark-haired boy who now had a flushed face as raised eyebrows.

“Sorry,” he put his hands up defensively. Everyone looked away and over at Anna who responded with the same face. She looked from person to person, every one looking more confused or curious than the one before. 

“Okay, what?” she asked. They all looked at each other to answer the question until Julie finally spoke up.

“Can you really see them? Like right there?”

“Yes, I can. Like right there. Why would I not be able to see them? It’s not like they’re invisible.” Anna shook her head and laid back down, which is when everyone seemed to remember her injuries.

“Okay, I’m gonna go get my dad. You guys,” Julie pointed at the boys still standing by the door, “make sure she doesn’t die.” Everyone seemed to wince a little at that last sentence, which confused Anna but she was too tired to care at that point. 

After Julie was gone, everybody in the room just stayed still for a few moments. The boys were kind of huddled together talking about whatever while Anna was laying on the couch, feeling like she was dying. She closed her eyes for half a second before they started yelling at her. One of them channeled Peter Kavinsky and screamed “woah” like 10 times. The other two were basically telling her not to die, as if she had any control over that. Anna opened her eyes and glared at the boys.

“Really? I’m not dying, it’s just a scratch. I’m fine.”

“But you said you were feeling woozy,” the dark-haired boy spoke up. He was fidgeting with his hands, but he still stepped forward. 

“I’m just not a fan of blood. And I kinda ran the whole way here.” Anna scrunched up her face, feeling a little embarrassed. “Poor planning on my part.”

The blond one nodded his head a little and they stood there in a slightly uncomfortable silence until Anna remembered she had no idea who the hell these people were.

“Um, hi,” she waved at the group to get their attention, “so, weird question considering the past few minutes, but who are you guys? And how do you know Julie?”

The boys looked between the three of them wondering how to answer her questions. The brown haired boy stepped forward, chuckling. He held out his hand for Anna to shake before shaking his head and taking his hand back.

“I’m Luke, and this is...” he introduced himself and gestured back towards his friends, telling them to continue.

“I’m Reggie, hi,” the dark-haired boy rushed out as if someone was going to interrupt him.

“Alex, hi. How are you?” The blond was the last to tell Anna his name, introducing himself with a small wave. She waved back with a tight smile.

“And how do you know Julie?”

“Oh! We’re all in a band together!” Luke exclaimed as he threw his arms around his band mates shoulders, pulling them near. “Julie and the Phantoms.”

“Tell your friends,” Reggie added in.

The boys moved to the side when Julie’s dad came rushing down the stairs with his daughter following close behind. When he saw Anna on the couch, he ran up to her. His eyes widened at the sight of all the little scratches and bruises on her face.

He turned around to where Julie was right behind him. “Julie, go get a warm washcloth and an ice pack. We need to wipe all of this blood off her face.” Turning back to Anna, he went to sit on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Anna, are you okay?”

“Yeah no, I’m fine. Just a few scratches,” she pointed at her face. “Oh, and this,” Anna lifted up her arm to show the giant cut on her forearm. Yellow and green bruises littered her skin and her arm was still covered with spots of dried blood.

Ray sighed and shook his head. He knew something like this would happen, with how much her parents fought it was inevitable. And this had happened before, but not as bad as now. Before his wife passed away, Anna would always seek shelter at their house, it was one of the few places she felt safe. Rose and Ray would clean her up while Julie made snacks and Carlos picked out a movie for them all to watch. Once Anna felt better, they would all curl up on the couch, with Anna in the middle in between Julie and Rose. 

Anna always fell asleep before the end of the movie, exhausted from the run. And Ray would always look over at her, cuddled up with his family. He hoped that it could just stay like this. She was safe here, she was happy here, but she always went back. She always thought it would get better, and he wondered if it ever did. Ray hadn’t seen her for almost a year, and he was worried where her safe place was during that time. After the movie, all of the kids would be asleep, laying on each other somehow. He had so many pictures of that. 

In the morning, Julie and Anna would spend half an hour in the bathroom trying to cover up the bruises on her face. Ray would drive them all to school and remind Anna that she was always welcome to stay at their house for as long as she needed. She would thank him and walk into school with a fake smile. Julie texted him throughout the day with updates on how Anna was doing and what was going on at home, if she happened to let anything slip. Her parents would come to pick her up after school and apologize for any inconvenience. He said it was no problem, and despite trying to stay civil, for Anna’s sake, a glare always poked through his calm demeanor. 

Unfortunately, this happened enough times that they had a routine. No matter how many times he offered to call someone, an aunt or grandparents or anybody who would treat her better, Anna always refused. She said she could handle it, and Ray trusted her. But he didn’t trust her parents. It might sound terrible, but he didn’t care if they hurt each other, not as much as he cared if they hurt Anna. They’re adults, they can control their actions. But Anna is a child, their child. You shouldn’t hurt someone you brought into this world just because you can.

Julie came back to the room with two washcloths and ice pack. She sat next to her dad on the coffee table, taking her mother’s place, and took Anna’s hand. The girls smiled at each other sadly, the familiarity of the scene washing over them. Ray washed the blood off of Anna’s face, carefully though, trying not to press too hard on the bruises. Julie used her hold on Anna’s hand to turn her arm over so she could clean off the blood. The two worked in silence, secretly hoping that she would stay and this would be the last time they would ever have to do this.

Anna, however, enjoyed the moment. Although the situation that brought this on was obviously terrible, it was nice to feel cared for, to not always feel threatened in the company of family. 

Ray finished cleaning Anna’s face and set the cloth down beside him. He sighed again, debating whether or not to call someone. Deciding against it, he settled for asking a few questions. When Anna heard him sigh, she knew she had to prepare herself.

“Can I ask what happened, or are we just going to ignore it like we always do? I’m not trying to pressure you Anna, it’s just,” he paused and gave her that fatherly look that dads give, most dads, “I hate seeing you like this. Scared and hurt. You don’t have to keep going back. Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do.” He took her free hand in his grasp to ground her before she went off thinking of possibilities.

Anna went back and forth with herself in her head. Should she finally keep the promise she’s broken a hundred times? Should she choose herself over her family, her parents? Is there anything else that she could do? She knows the right answer, but it scares her, it’s not what she used to. Is that weird? That she’s scared of safety? That she’s scared of love and happiness?

Anna finally swallows her pride and makes her decision. “I know. I don’t think...” she looked down at her lap, bracing herself for what she was about to say next. “I don’t want to go back. I-I’ve tried to help, I have, but... I can’t think of anything else. And I don’t want to be scared anymore.”

Julie moved to sit next to her friend and hugged her from the side. She was happy that Anna was choosing to stay, and she didn’t care what consequences it brought. She only care that she would be safe. 

“You don’t need to be scared,” she whispered in her ear. 

Ray squeezed Anna’s hand before letting go and standing up. He took the washcloths out to the kitchen and grabbed a blanket to put over the girls.

“Alright, you two calm down. We can talk more about this tomorrow if you feel ready, Anna. But you do have school tomorrow, so make sure you get some sleep. If you want you can stay down here. I’d call Carlos down, but I’m pretty sure he thinks he’s too grown up for the little family cuddle sessions now.” The three of them laugh a little before Ray turns to head upstairs. Anna turns to smile at Julie, but stops when she sees something she honestly forgot about.

The boys were still standing by the door looking at the two girls with slightly confused, but mostly concerned and understanding faces. Anna wonders if they’ve been there the whole time, just watching all of that play out, which must have been a little awkward. She also wonders how long they’re planning on standing there like that.

“What about them,” she asks.

Ray turns back around and looks around the room, right past the boys. “Who?”

Right as Anna’s about to point, Julie stammers out an excuse. “Uh... her parents! Because they always came to pick her up from school the day after. Yeah, what are we gonna do about them?” Anna looks at Julie, clearly confused because that is not what she was talking about, and she’s pretty sure Julie knew that. As curious as she was though, she was way more tired and she wasn’t about to fight it.

Ray thinks for a minute before coming up with a plan, “I could pick you up at another door so they won’t see you.”

“Sounds great,” Anna smiled.

“Great. Then just text me after school which door you guys are at and I’ll meet you there.” The girls each gave him a thumbs up and he chuckled before heading upstairs.

Anna turned back to the door, but the boys were gone. Weird, though, because she hadn’t heard the door open or anyone walk away, besides Ray that is. She was about to ask Julie about it, but she must have seen the question on her face because she just sighed and said, “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

The two girls leaned on each other on the couch, a smaller version of what they were used to, but just as comforting. Anna drew herself deeper into Julie’s side while Julie laid her head on Anna’s.

“Thank you for doing this Julie. I know I haven’t been the best friend since...” she cut herself off. She didn’t want to remind Julie of that pain, but you don’t need to remind someone of what they’re constantly thinking of.

“It’s no problem, Anna. You know I’d do anything for you, you’re one of my best friends. And we all changed when my mom died. The important part is you’re back now.” She gave Anna a little hug and closed her eyes.

“You’re the kindest person in the world, Julie Molina,” Anna smiled and closed her eyes too.

“And you’re the bravest person in the world, Anna Peters.”


	2. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m gonna need a legit explanation,” Anna demanded. “Because with whatever sister thing you guys were talking about, plus Ray ignoring your existence for some reason last night, I am very confused. And I need answers.”

As Julie and Anna fell asleep on the couch, the boys poofed into the studio. Reggie was staring at the wall with wide eyes, trying to comprehend what they had just heard. Alex and Luke looked at each other, also shocked, but Reggie needed their help now. They led him over to the couch and Reggie grabbed pillow as they sat him down. Hugging the pillow, he continued staring at the wall while Luke and Alex each put a hand on his shoulder.

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence. Peters is kind of a common name,” Alex reasoned.

“Yeah, totally. Or we could have just heard her wrong. Maybe she said something like Peelers?” Luke got quiet when Alex looked over at him.

“Peelers? Really?”

“It was the first thing I thought of,” he shrugged. “Like you could think of anything better.”

Alex thought for a moment, trying out different names, before giving up. “No, I guess not.”

Luke raised his eyebrows with a satisfied smirk on his face and turned his attention back to Reggie, who still hadn’t shaken out of his shock. 

“Okay... um,” Luke grabbed the pillow out of Reggie’s hands and sat on the table in front of them. He took his hands in his own and shook them a little. “You good?”

Reggie nodded his head a little, barely noticeable, but it still reassured his friends enough to make them smile. Alex moved onto the table next to Luke and rested a hand on Reggie’s knee.

“I mean, even if she is...” he strung off his sentence, unsure of what relation Anna could even have to Reggie. Sister? Niece? Reggie did have a sister before they died, but they haven’t been able to find her yet. Maybe this girl could help. “That wouldn’t the worst thing, would it?”

“Yes it would,” Reggie finally spoke. “You saw what she looked like, all of those cuts. Who do you think did that? God, I always thought the yelling was bad, but now they’re actually hurting her? She’s just a kid! She doesn’t deserve this!” Reggie stood up and moved around the table, pacing and running his hands through his hair.

“You were just a kid too, Reg. Neither of you deserve this,” Luke stood up and walked around to stand in front of Reggie, placing his hands on his shoulders and holding him in place. “Your folks are terrible people. And I don’t know how many times they’ve done something like this to Anna, honestly I don’t want to, but she’s safe now. She’s staying here, with Julie. She’s safe, both of you are safe. They aren’t gonna hurt you anymore.” 

Luke pulled Reggie in for a hug as he muttered a little ‘I know’ and opened an arm for Alex to join. The three of them stood in the middle of their studio, thinking about what came next. How should they approach this situation? Because they were pretty sure Anna would totally freak out if they just told her ‘hey, we’re ghosts who died 25 years ago and now we play in a band with your best friend. Also Reggie might be your brother. Surprise!’ 

Yeah, none of them could picture that going well.

~~~

Most mornings, Anna would wake up to an empty stomach, and it would stay that way until lunch. Maybe, on a good morning, there would be a box of Cheerios that she could eat, even though she hated the smell. Occasionally, if her parents were feeling kind or guilty enough, there’d be a box of a sugary cereal, like Fruit Loops or something.

This morning, Anna woke up to the smell of pancakes and bacon and maple syrup and so many other delicious foods that she’d only had once or twice before at sleepovers. She began to rise from her spot on the couch and noticed that Julie was already up and in the kitchen. Pushing the blanket aside, she joined the family and stood next to Julie at the counter.

Reggie was standing next to Ray by the stove, talking about how excited he was for the next show the band was playing at the upcoming school dance. Julie quietly laughed when he mentioned showing up at least an hour early to make sure they didn’t miss this one, but disguised it as a cough when Ray and Reggie looked over at her. Apparently neither of them had noticed Anna walk in, Ray was busy trying not to burn the food and Reggie was busy having a strangely one-sided conversation with him. Reggie smiled and waved at Anna, who smiled back, and Ray took the pancake off of the pan before greeting her.

“How are you feeling today, Anna? Are you okay? Do you feel up to going to school? Because I know before, you’d always go to school the day after. But if you want to stay home for the day, Julie can keep you company and I can call the two of you out for the day.” Anna chuckled and smiled. She had really missed this family in the past year. It wasn’t the same running to her room and covering her arms with band aids instead of running to their house and actually being helped.

“Um... actually staying home doesn’t sound too bad. Give all this some more time to heal,” she said, pointing to the scratches on her face.

Ray smiled and nodded his head, putting food on plates for the two girls. “Alright, I’ll get on that then. Enjoy your breakfast and relax.”

“Aye aye captain,” Anna saluted. Ray just chuckled and walked out of the room with his phone to his ear. 

“So...” Julie said through a mouthful of pancakes, “what do you wanna do today? We could chill on the couch and watch movies like we used to?”

“That sounds like fun. Oh! You could also put on a little show for me with your band. It’s been forever since I heard you sing.”

Reggie pointed at me and agreed. “I like that idea. Can we do that?”

“I mean...” Julie drew on, building the suspense. “I guess we could play you a song or two.” Reggie and Anna cheered quietly and Anna clapped a little. “Okay, but you have to find the other guys,” she pointed at Reggie. “God knows where they could be.”

“On it,” Reggie nodded. He jumped a little before he disappeared completely, which Anna missed because she was busy cutting up her pancakes.

Ray walked back into the kitchen, putting his jacket on and getting ready to leave for work. “Okay, so both of you are called out for the day. If anybody asks, you two have a cold.” Julie and Anna both gave a little fake cough to play into the act. Ray smiled and continued, “Carlos has a big math test today, so he won’t be staying home with you. And I am headed out now...” he said while he searched through the mail.

“In your pocket,” Julie advised.

He reached in his pocket and pulled out his keys. “What would I do without you? Okay, I’m off now. Bye girls, don’t get into any trouble.”

“We’ll try,” Anna replied.

Ray gave both of the girls a smile, taking in the happiness in both of their faces. Carlos came rushing down the stairs and gave Anna a quick hug before being ushered out the door by his dad. Once her dad and brother were gone, Julie took her and Anna’s now empty plates and set them in the sink.

“So, you wanna watch a movie first or wait in the studio for the boys? ‘Cause I have no idea how long it’ll take for Reggie to find them. They’re, like, always off doing their own thing. Luke hangs out at his parents’ place a lot. Alex is with his gho-gorgeous boyfriend,” she stutters. “His words not mine.”

“Well, I could go for a private Julie Molina concert. Get a little taste of what’s to come.” Anna missed hearing Julie sing. In the few weeks she stuck around after Rose’s death, Anna didn’t hear Julie even hum one note. It was like Rose was the conductor for Julie’s song, always leading her and giving her her cues, and without her she was lost. But now, Julie had found her footing again. She found her place in the music, and she was hitting every note perfectly.

Julie laughed and shook her head. “Sure, but what I can do is nothing compared to what the boys can do,” she brushed away the compliment.

“Ugh, you gotta stop doing this,” Anna insisted, lightly shoving Julie’s shoulder.

“Doing what?”

“Underselling yourself. You gotta own your awesomeness.” Julie scoffed and ducked her head, looking at her hands. “I’m serious Julie. You are literally the most talented person I’ve ever met. And the fact that you think otherwise is honestly rude. Do you not trust my judgement?”

“Your judgment is fine. It’s just-a lot of things have happened since the last time I saw you. It’s been hard, and I guess my confidence isn’t quite at the level it was before.” Anna grabbed her friend’s hands to comfort her. “But I’m working on it.”

“Good, I’m glad,” Anna smiled and made her way to the door so the girls could go into the studio. “But if you ever feel like trash again, I’m sure your mom kept some videos of you absolutely nailing like every Adele song at 10 years old.” She grabbed Julie’s hand and dragged her outside with her.

Julie giggled as she was pulled behind Anna, but she slowed to a stop as her phone lit up with a new text. “Ok, ok, wait a minute.” She unlocked her phone and opened the text. “Oh, shoot.”

“What is it?”

“It’s Flynn, I forgot to tell her I wasn’t coming to school today.”

“Oh... Flynn.” Anna hadn’t talked to Flynn since she ghosted Julie and her. They were all great friends — Julie, Flynn, Anna, and even Carrie — before everything kind of fell apart between them. Carrie was the first to leave their little group, giving into the pressure of having a famous dad and growing up in the spotlight. Now she always made sure that she was bigger, brighter, and better than everyone else. Next, obviously, was Anna. Leaving out of fear and sadness.

Flynn and Julie always had each other, though. Flynn supported Julie after her mom died, and according to what Anna had heard around school, she also helped out with the band. Aside from a small fight Anna saw after the Spirit Rally weeks ago, they always still knew together. She was happy they had each other, although she was a little jealous. 

They were always the closest in their friend group when they were younger, but they always made sure to include Carrie and Anna in everything they did. Anna always cherished the time she spent with her friends. It was time she spent away from home and her parents. It took her a while to realize it, but she always enjoyed spending time with Flynn a little more than her other friends. 

There was just something about the way she did everything with such confidence, it always amazed Anna. And the way her brown eyes would shine a copper color in the sunlight, like pennies in a fountain at the mall they used to hang out at. The way her hands were always so soft and how they would fit perfectly with Anna’s.

Julie always teased Anna for it, saying she had a crush on her. She was right, though. Anna did have a crush on Flynn. Of course, she didn’t figure it out until she had burned that bridge, and probably the whole neighboring town. Now she was honestly kind of scared of how Flynn would react to Anna just popping back into their lives.

“Hey, I’m sure she’ll be so excited to have you back,” Julie placed a comforting hand on Anna’s shoulder.

Anna just smiled in response and headed to the studio. She was about to pull the doors open when she heard the boys inside. They were talking about something to do with her. She wasn’t quite sure, but she knew she heard her name. She opened one of the doors, just a little bit, so Julie and her could hear more clearly.

“Ok, so if Anna is your sister-“ she heard Alex say.

“Which she might not be,” Luke interrupted.

“Exactly, we don’t know for sure. But if she is, just make sure she’s okay. I’m not trying to belittle your trauma, but it seems like your parents are a lot harsher on her than they were on you.”

Anna looked at Julie, who seemed just as confused as she was. Why do they think that Anna is someone’s sister?

“Yeah, I mean when I was around, it was just fighting and yelling,” Reggie cut in. “But now they’re hurting her.”

“But she’s strong,” Luke added, “and she’s safe now.”

The girls looked at each other again. Julie thought it was sweet that the boys already cared about Anna this much. Anna nodded her head toward the studio, asking if they should go in now. It seemed rude to be eavesdropping on their conversation after all the speeches she’s given about boundaries, so Julie shrugged and nodded.

“I know, I just want her to be okay,” Reggie worried.

“I’m okay,” Anna answered as she walked in with Julie behind her. “A little confused, though.”

Alex, Luke, and Reggie just stood in place with wide eyes like deer in headlights. All of them looked at each other, then back at Anna and Julie. They looked at each other once more before stammering out excuses.

“Well, you see-“

“Oh, it’s just-“

“We don’t mean that-“

They all spoke at once, creating a loud mess that neither Julie or Anna could understand. Anna turned to look at Julie, who pulled her over to the couch to sit down. They both watched the boys explain what exactly they were talking about, but with the three of them speaking over the others, they gave up trying to understand and just waited for them to finish. This should be interesting.

Eventually, Julie had enough of the nonsense and yelled over the boys so they could hear her. 

“Ok, be quiet!” The boys all shut their mouths at once. “Sit down.” They sat on the table in front of the leather couch.

“I’m gonna need a legit explanation,” Anna demanded. “Because with whatever sister thing you guys were talking about, plus Ray ignoring your existence for some reason last night, I am very confused. And I need answers.”

When Anna mentioned last night, all members of the band looked at the others. If it wasn’t obvious before, Anna now knew for sure that they had a secret. And now that it seemed to involve her, she wanted to know.

She raised her eyebrows expectantly as the group around her silently debated whether or not they should tell her. Julie was the one who decided to start.

“Ok, so, I was cleaning out the loft...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, still have no idea what I’m doing :). Sorry this took 2 weeks, I had a lot of homework and I am terrible at physics.


	3. A New Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If she had a nickel for every time she’d been told that her dead brother and his band came back as ghosts and formed a new band with her best friend, she’d have one nickel, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it even happened once.

The silence was deafening. No one knew how long they’d been sitting like this. The band was watching Anna for her reaction while she just stared at the wall, hugging a pillow. 

If she had a nickel for every time she’d been told that her dead brother and his band came back as ghosts and formed a new band with her best friend, she’d have one nickel, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it even happened once.

After what Julie just told her, though, and the evidence sitting right in front of her in the form of her brother and two of his band mates, she’d believe anything. It was just hard to wrap her mind around. Sure, she always felt like there was a little piece of her missing her whole life, but she figured that was just because her parents never really allowed her to be who she wanted to be. 

Whenever she wanted to sign up for a club or any kind of extracurricular, they always refused. Excuses were thrown around and overused— “we don’t have enough money right now, Anna,” “don’t you wanna focus on school?” It was always something out of their control.

But now, her world had just imploded — in a good way. At least, she thought it was good. A new family. One that didn’t seem at all like her old one. One that understood what she was going through, one that has gone through what she was going through. One that would accept her, flaws and all. One that, admittedly, would take some getting used to, they were dead after all which is not something she’s ever experienced before. But she looked forward to getting to know them, her brother especially.

Julie looked concerned while holding her friend’s hand. “Anna...” she started cautiously, “are you ok? Do you understand what I just told you?”

“Ghosts. Uh huh, yep, that’s a normal thing.” Anna nodded her head slowly with a vacant look in her eyes. Now she knew why the boys looked a little bit familiar when she first saw them. There were a few pictures scattered around her house with Reggie, a couple of those included the other boys. She didn’t have the nerve to ask her parents who they were until around two years ago, but her parents didn’t answer. They just looked sadly at each other, with faces full of regret. 

“I know it sounds pretty strange, like really crazy-“ Julie started.

“No,” everyone’s eyes looked to Anna as she interrupted, “I believe you, though. It’s just...”

“Weird?”

“A little. Just a little, yeah,” Anna chuckled, which seemed to put everybody else at ease. Julie put one of her arms around Anna’s waist and gave her a little side hug, resting her head on her shoulder. “So,” she turned to Reggie, “you’re my brother, then?”

Reggie gave her a comforting smile, “yeah, I guess so. If this is too weird for you, I don’t have to act like one. I can just be Julie’s ghost friend.”

“No, Reg, I’d love for you to be my brother. You know, I’ve always wanted a sibling,” she recounted, leaning back on the couch

“Oh, is that why you spent most of your time here? Trying to steal my brother?” Julie joked.

“Well, obviously. Who else am I gonna play baseball with? And don’t say you.”

Five years ago, Julie, Flynn, Carrie, and Anna were playing around in the loft when they found an old baseball bat leaning against the wall. They borrowed one of Carlos’s baseballs and went in the yard to play. Once they convinced him that they weren’t going to lose it, they split into teams: Julie and Carrie, and Flynn and Anna. They were just playing a mini game of baseball, barely following the actual rules. Everything was going fine, until Julie’s third turn at the bat. 

Anna was the pitcher, so she stepped into the middle of the yard, where their “mound” was. She brought her arm back and threw the ball towards Julie, aiming as best she could, trying not to hit her face. Apparently, Julie did not have the same concern. The ball came flying towards Anna and nearly hit her right on the nose. But, luckily, she ducked down quick enough and avoided a trip to the emergency room. The following days were filled with a lot of jokes, including ducking every time Julie threw something or even raised her arm. They also banned her from ever playing baseball again.

Julie scoffed and put her hands up in defense, “okay, that happened one time. And it was a long time ago.”

“And it will never happen again. I’m not gonna make the same mistake twice. I enjoy having a nose, thank you very much.” Anna had a smug smile on her face. She knew Julie wasn’t really offended, and it was fun to joke around with her again. She missed this.

“I feel like we’re missing something here,” Alex whispered. Anna turned her attention to the boys and saw them nodding in agreement.

“All you need to know is you should never play baseball with Julie. Never.”

“Noted.”

“Anyway,” she turned back to Julie. “I do believe I was promised a concert. I’d love to see you guys in action.”

“Yeah, totally,” Luke said. He got up and went over to his guitar, the rest of the band followed and took their places. Right as Julie was sitting down behind her keyboard, the door to the garage opened.

“Hey Jules! Hey ghost boys!” Flynn walked into the studio with piles of papers in her arms, facing the band, so she hadn’t seen Anna yet.

“Hey Flynn,” Julie said. The boys waved at her, too, even though, based on what they all told Anna earlier, Flynn couldn’t see them. Only Julie could, and Anna.

“What’s all of that?”

“Well, I was bored, so I texted some of my friends that are in the visual arts program and asked them to make some concept posters for Julie and the Phantoms. I figured we could choose at least one and advertise the band with that. We could scan it and post it on Instagram, maybe hang some up in the hallways if Principal Lessa lets us.”

“That sounds great. We could go through them after practice if you wanna stay and watch?” Anna looked at Julie from behind Flynn, suddenly wishing she was a ghost. Flynn still didn’t know she was here and Anna had no idea how mad she was at her. Julie knew this, and had come up with a little ploy to get them to make up. Anna violently shook her head at her friend, animating her face so Julie would get the idea, which she didn’t. She really didn’t.

“Or Anna could help you look through them while we practice?” Julie pointed past Flynn, towards Anna, still sitting on the couch. Flynn’s eyebrows shot up, clearly she was not expecting to she her. Anna gave her a small smile, trying to suppress the heat rising to her face. Evidently, her crush had not gone away.

“Multitasking!” Julie said with an awkward thumbs up.

“Great, so what do you wanna start with Julie?” Luke walked over next to the keyboard, eager to start playing music and move past the super fun moment that just happened.

Flynn hadn’t straight up refused to work with Anna, and the band had already moved on, so she came over to sit next to her on the couch. They both sat there in silence for a minute while Julie and the boys figured out which song to play.

“So... you’re back?” Flynn asked. Anna guessed she was asking because this past year wasn’t exactly the first time she had isolated herself from the group. Those other times only lasted a few days, though. Flynn wasn’t sure if Anna was definitely here to stay.

“Yeah, I am,” Anna nodded.

“Are you okay?”

She took a deep breath, thinking about her answer. She knew that Julie told the other girls about what sometimes happened at her home. None of them had ever pressed her about it, just offering to be there whenever she needed them. Sometimes, she would take them up in their offer. Before Rose passed away, she was at Julie’s house almost all the time, spending as much time as she could with her before she was gone. The less she was home, the less she’d get hurt.

“I will be.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Flynn softly smiled at Anna and pulled her into a hug. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too. So much.” The two girls sat there hugging for a few seconds before they felt another pair of arms surround them. Anna lifted her head a little to see that Julie joined the hug. She did miss this, feeing like she belonged somewhere, like she belonged with somebody, a family. This reminded her of her brother seated across the room.

Reggie, Luke, and Alex were standing in front of the band setup, watching the girls hug. Luke was leaning into Alex, covering his mouth like he was tearing up. Alex had his hands on Luke’s shoulder, and Reggie stood near them with his arms crossed, smiling at the girls.

This was the happiest Anna’s been in a long time, she almost didn’t remember the feeling. She was glad this was her family, the people who cared about her, who wanted her to be safe, who wouldn’t hurt her no matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first fic I’ve ever written (if you hate it pls don’t tell me, I’m insecure). I don’t know if I’m gonna keep this title, I honestly have no idea where this is going because I’m posting as I write, so... yay. Anyway, I hope you liked it! Thanks!


End file.
